This invention relates to movable leg rests for recliner chairs and in particular to a leg rest actuating mechanism for a recliner chair in which the chair seat carries the leg rest and is movable relative to the frame of the chair.
Movable leg rests for recliner chairs are well-known in the prior art. A movable leg rest for a recliner chair may be automatically actuated in response to chair movement or may be handle actuated between an extended or use position, and a retracted or storage position. In the extended position, the leg rest is disposed generally horizontal to floor level in front of the front edge of the chair. In the retracted position, the leg rest is generally disposed in a vertical position, and is usually retracted up against the front edge of the chair beneath the seat. With the leg rest in the extended attitude, a user may lean back or recline in the chair and place his legs on the leg rest, thereby orienting the legs in an outstretched or generally horizontal position. With the leg rest in the retracted attitude, the user sits in the chair normally with his feet on the floor, thereby permitting the chair to be used in the usual fashion since the leg rest is retracted up against the chair behind the chair user's legs.
One common type of leg rest is a type that is supported on the frame of the chair. This type of leg rest is typically actuated by a pantographing linkage type of mechanism between its retracted and extended positions. This type of mechanism includes several linkages which are connected together in scissors fashion to move the foot rest from its relatively vertical position when retracted to a horizontal position when extended and to hold the foot rest in the horizontal attitude. This type of actuating mechanism is usually quite complicated, in part because of the requirement that the linkages not only extend the leg rest but that they also move the leg rest from a vertical to a horizontal position. Another type of leg rest is one that is supported by the chair seat rather than the frame of the chair. The advantage of this arrangement is that the leg rest and seat relationship stay the same through all positions of the seat. However, this type of leg rest also generally uses the complicated pantographing actuating mechanism to extend and retract the leg rest. Further, the actuating mechanism in this type of seat and leg rest arrangement is complicated by the need in many cases to mount the drive means for the actuating mechanism on the chair frame so that the drive means does not move and interfere with other parts of the chair such as the upholstery, legs and frame members. The need to provide a connection between the drive means and the actuating mechanism which permits movement of the actuating mechanism with the seat adds further complexity to the leg rest actuating mechanism.
The closest prior art references of which the applicant is aware are U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,739 to Knabusch and U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,980 to Ciner. Copies of each of these patents are enclosed with this patent application.
A recliner chair is disclosed in the Knabusch U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,739 in which a leg rest is carried by a seat and the seat and leg rest are movable together relative to the base frame of the chair. A leg rest actuating means of the pantographing type is also supported on the seat and is movable with the seat. A drive means is mounted on the base frame and remains stationary relative to the seat. To permit the drive means to provide operating force to the actuating mechanism at any position of the seat throughout its range of movement, a universal drive shaft connects the drive means and the actuating means. In contrast, the invention herein disclosed utilizes a simple linkage driven by a drive shaft to actuate the leg rest. Further, the "lost motion" required to permit movement of the seat and leg rest relative to the drive means is accomplished in the invention by movement of the linkages in the same manner as they are moved to operate the leg rest about axes which are parallel to each other as opposed to the more complicated arrangement of the Knabusch patent.
In the Ciner U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,980, there is disclosed a chair having a reclining back and a seat which moves forwardly as the back reclines. A leg rest is pivotally mounted on the end of the seat and is extended or retracted by a rack and gear type of actuating means which is carried by and moves with the seat. The gear type actuating means is relatively complicated and the drive means for the actuating means is mounted with the actuating means on the seat. Although a link connected to the rack pivots the leg rest on the end of the seat between extended and retracted positions, the rack and gear are key elements of the actuating means and this is a significantly different type of mechanism than that disclosed herein.